Composite fabric and method of making same



Patented Aug. 16, 193s UNITED: STATES COMPOSITE FABRIC AND METHOD OFMAKING SAME George Schneider, Montclair, N. J., assignor to CelaneseCorporation of America, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing.Application. September 28, 1935, Serial No. 42,718. Renewed May 6, 193812 Claims. (Cl. 154-2) This invention relates to the preparation ofstiffened fabricsand also to wearing apparel or other technical orcommercial articles formed in whole or in part of such stiffened fabric,and more particularly to, such articles of stiffened fabrics wherein theexposed layers of fabric comprise filaments or yarns containing organicderivatives of cellulose.

An object of my invention is to prepare fabrics of any desired degree ofstiffness in a simple and expeditious manner. A further object of myinvention is to prepare wearing apparel and other technical orindustrial articles consisting of or containing an exposed fabriccomprising filaments or yarns of on organic derivative of cellulose anda stiffening fabric,containing a plasticizer for the organic derivativeof cellulose in the exposed layers. Other objects of the invention willappear from the following detailed description.

In the making of stiffened fabrics bycausing cellulose acetate or otherorganic derivative of cellulose to melt or coalesce by operationsinvolving the application of heat and pressure, it has previously beenconsidered necessary to have present during this operation acetone orother volatile organic solvents or latent solvents for the derivative ofcellulose. The use of such volatile organic solvents or latent solventsis objectionable when the exposed fabric or fabrics consist of orcontain organic derivatives of cellulose, as the exposed fabric may bealtered or marred by contact with the solvent or may even be'entirelydestroyed thereby.

I have found that composite fabrics may be formed, the outer or exposedlayer or layers of which is made froma fabric, consisting of orcontaining yarns formed from filaments containing an organic derivativeof cellulose, by incorporating next to each layer of 'fabric containingyarns of an organic derivative of cellulose or between saidlayers afabric that contains a plasti-' cizer for the organic derivative ofcellulose. The layer of fabric containing pla-sticizer may be made ofyarns of an organic derivative of cellulose; of

yarns of non-thermoplastic fibres and. filaments,

of yarns of non-thermoplastic fibres and filaments mixed with yarnscontaining anorganic derivative of cellulose, or' of yarns made bymixing thermoplastic and non-thermoplastic filaments, which fabrics aresaturated, coated or otherwise have incorporated therewith a plasticizerfor the organic derivative of cellulose of the assembly. By this method,there may be formed a. stiffened fabric having good stiffening effectsand firm adhesion between the various layers of the composite materialby the mere application of heat and pressure. Water or moisture may, ifdesired, be present during the pressing. By this method, no solvent orother reagent that has a modifying action on the outer layers need beapplied to or through the said outer layers.

Products formed by this invention may be used for any purpose where astiffened and/or relatively more or less impermeable fabric is desired.An important application of such products is wearing apparel which maybe formed wholly or in part of fabrics made or prepared in accordancewith this invention. Thus, collars or in the inner portions of garments,such as coats,

to help retain the shape thereof, etc. The fabric of this invention maybe used for a variety of other purposes and indeed may be-used for anyindustrial or technical purpose where fabric of increased stiffness isrequired.

The finished article may consist of a front or exposed fabric and abacking fabric or a front or exposed fabric laminated to several layersof fabric. the inner fabrics, where the assembly contains more than twolayers of, fabric, may be a fabric formed of yarns of an organicderivative of cellulose impregnated with a plasticizer. The backingfabric, or inner fabrics of th assemblies containing more than twolayers of fabrics, may be made wholly of non-thermoplastic materialssuch as cotton, wool, linen, silk, etc. or they may be made. of suchmaterials interwoven or otherwise mixed with yarns and filaments of athermoplastic material. Such fabrics are -impregnated with a plasticizerfor the organic derivative of cellulose present in the assembly. I

A particular application of this invention is for sweat bands of hats.The bands may be formed by laminating and coalescing together two layersof fabric containing an organic derivative of cellulose withanintermediate layer of cotton fabric. The cotton fabric in this case willcontain the plasticizer required for the union.

In order thatthe desired degree of stiffening and adhesion be attainedupon the heat pressing either in the presence or absence of water, it isThe backing fabric or at least one of of importance that there bepresent in the assembly being treated, a plasticizer, i. e. a relativelyhigh-boiling or non-volatile solvent for the cellulose acetate or otherorganic derivative of cellulose employed in the assembly. Theplasticizer may be present in any of the layers of fabric. However, ifthe exposed surfaces of the outer layers are not to be modified theplasticizer should be absent from those layers and be applied only tothe inner layers. The plasticizer may beapplied to the fabric in anysuitable manner. Thus, the plasticizer or high-boiling solvent for theorganic derivative of cellulose employed in the assembly may be appliedto or incorporated in the desired fabric by passing the said fabricthrough a solution of plasticizer, by padding the plasticiaer on thefabric or by spray g on to the fabric a solution of plasticizer in avolatile solvent. Or the plasticizer can be incorporated in the organicderivative of cellulose solution prior to or during the spinningoperation. Any other suitable method may be employed for impregnatingthe backing or inner layers with a plasticizer.

Any suitable plasticizer may be employed, which plasticizer may or maynot besoluble in water. The plasticizers may be any of the highboilingsolvents or softening agents as, for example, the aryl sulphonamids suchas .para ethyl toluol sulphonamid, the alkyl phthalates such as dimethylphthalate, the dialkyl tartrates such as dibutyl tartrate, the alkoxyesters of polybasic organic acids such as diethoxy ethyl phthalate, thepolybasic acid esters of the mono alkyl ethers of polyhydric alcoholssuch as diethylene glycol ethyl ether ester of phthalic acid the alkylesters of phosphoric acid such as triethylglycol phosphate, the mixedalkyl and aryl phosphates, and camphor.

The amount of plasticizer present is preferably relatively large andonthe order offrom less than 40% to 150% or more of the weight of theorganic derivative of cellulose present in the as- I the cotton fabricwill absorb and retain, i. e. the

cotton fabric is saturated with the plasticizer.

In one form of this invention, the assembly of fabrics, comprisingexposed or outer layers of a fabric containing an organic derivative ofcellulose and an inner layer of a fabric containing a plasticizer forthe organic derivative of cellulose in the outer layers, may be cut,sewn or otherwise shaped to articles and the'assembly then pressed terand" subjected to heat and to lend stiffness and adhesion thereto. Forinstance, after the desired articles, such as sweat bands, collars,belts or other wearingapparel or parts thereof, are formedfrom anassembly comprising an inner layer of a non-thermoplastic materialcontaining a plasticizer and outer layers of material containing organicderivatives of eel-.- lulose, the articles may then be treated withwapressure or subjected only to heat and pressure.

Products of this invention mave have any desired degree of stiffnesswhich is relatively permanent so that they may be subjected to repeatedlaunderings and may be dry cleaned without substantially losing theirstiffness and/ or the adhesion of each layer to the other. In thismanner the use of starch or other extraneous stiffening materials duringlaundering may be avoided. As

thecompositematerial is preferably formed with the outer layers offabric containing yarns or filaments containing an organic derivative ofcellulose, there is a decided advantage in lending stiffness andcoalescence to the article without the aid of extraneous material, astheuse of such material results in a gloss on the laundered article,thus marring the uniform efiectof color, texture and appearance of theorganic derivative of cellulose fabric.

This invention may be carried out in a large number of ways,particularly as to the nature of the fabric or number of fabricsemployed, provided that the fabrics containing yarns of organicderivatives of cellulose are employed in the composite material as theouter layers and also that in juxtaposition thereto is a fabric, of

any suitable material, containing a plasticizer for the organicderivative of cellulose of the adjacent or outer layers. For instance,the composite materiaL'such as a sweat band for a hat, may be formed byshaping the sweat band from a composite material having an outer fabriclayer that contains filaments of organic derivatives of cellulose, and aliner of fabric, preferably a cotton duck, that has been padded with asubstantial amount of plasticizer for the organic derivative ofcellulose in the outer layers. In this method of forming articles theplasticizer acts only upon the inner side of the outer fabrics. Thisaction is sufllcient to cause a strong adhesion between the layers ofthe assembly yet does not mar or alter the textile appearance, soft handor other properties of the outside of the outside layers.

This invention is not only applicable to laminated or composite articleswherein the outer layers of fabric contain only yarns or filaments oforganic derivatives of .cellulose. It is applicable alse to compositearticles that have an exposed or outer layer of fabric wherein yarns ofother fibres are present together with the yarns or filaments .of anorganic derivative of cellulose. For instance, fabrics may be employedin which yarns of an organic derivative of cellulose alternate withnon-thermoplasticyarns either in the warp or in the weft or both in anydesired degree of alternation. ,This alternation may be, for in--stance, one. two, threeor more cellulose acetate yarns with one, two,three or more yarns of cotton or other non-thermoplastic fibres. Forconvenience,'the outer layers of fabric may be formed such that the warpmaybe made with such al-.

ternation of an organic derivative. of cellulose yarn and the yarn ofother fibres while the weft may consist whollyof such yarns of anorganic derivative of cellulose or of yarns of other fibres, or fabricconsisting of yarns made from mixed thermoplastic and non-thermoplasticfibres. If

desired, a fabric may be used as the ohter layer in which either thewarp or weft consists wholly of cellulose acetate yarn while theintermediate layers of fabric consist of any suitable materialcontaining a sufficient amount of plasticizer for the cellulose acetateof the outer layer and the assembly of the fabrics caused to adhere toeach other by heat pressing in the presence or absence of water.Adhesion effected under these conditions results in no alteration of theouter surface of the exposed layers since the plasticizer on the innerlayers causes the organic derivative of cellulose, such as celluloseacetate, of only the inner 'side of the outer layers to soften, swell orbecome bly. This expedient gives rise to many novel effects that may beproduced in stiffened fabrics. For instance, tafletas, satins, plushes,velvets or other types of.fabric may be employed, which fabrics may bewoven, knitted, netted or knotted. All exposed yarns, whether of organicderivatives of cellulose or other materials, are left unaltered in bothappearance and hand.

The yarns or filaments which are employed to form the fabric may be'madeof any suitable organic derivative of cellulose, for instance, theorganic esters of cellulose and the cellulose ethers. Examples oforganic esters of cellulose are cellulose acetate, cellulose formate,cellulose propio- I nate and cellulose butyrate, while examples ofcellulose ethers are methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose and benzylcellulose.

In employing my invention, the composite material may be made of two ormore layers of fabric, at least one layer of fabric, preferably the onethat is exposed to view, having yarns of an organic derivative ofcellulose. By this inventlon, any number of layers may be joinedtogether to form stiffened articles. Thus, the stiffened article maycontain a layer of cellulose acetate fabric, the exposed surface ofwhich is unaltered, and bound thereto a layer of fabric containingcotton or other yarns such as yarns containing an organic derivative ofcellulose. Furthermore, a composite article may be formed in which theinner fabric of non-thermoplastic material is surrounded by a fabriccontaining cellulose acetate. The composite material may be made of, forinstance, six or seven layers of fabric provided that a layer of fabriccontaining a plasticizer is interposed between each two layers of fabriccontaining yarns or fllamentsof an organic derivative of cellulose. Inthe case of collars, cuifs, etc., where an exterior fabric containingcellulose acetate is desired, a layer of nonthermoplastic materialcontaining a plasticizer may be interposed between two layers of fabricconsisting of yarns or filaments of cellulose acetate and the sametreated with water, after having been shaped and sewn, and the assemblypressed in the ordinary manner of pressing fabric materials or theassembly may be pressed without wetting with water.

In the forming of composite articles which are to be used in place of orto simulate to a certain extent, a leather product such as sweat bandsfor hats, belts, pocket-books, etc., the article after being formedwithan exposed layer of cellulose acetate and a backing or inner layer ofnonfor the cellulose acetate, may be dipped into an aqueous solutioncontaining alcohols, with or without additional plastlcizer, prior topressing. The article thus formed, by regulating the constituents of thewetting solution, may be caused to have a slight or substantiallycomplete coalescence of the yarns containing cellulose acetate on theexposed surface. This coalescence of the yarns on the outer surfaceproduces an article having a slick leather-like feel and the textileappearance may or may not be obliterated.

To obtain good adhesion and stiffening properties, it is preferable to.have water present during the application of heat and pressure, but itshould be understood that this is not essential to the successfulworking of this invention. An aqueous liquid or steam may be applied tothe assembly of fabrics in any suitable manner. Thus, water may beapplied by spraying or brushing the fabric with water or by padding thematerial with water or by dipping the fabric in water. Where a slight orsubstantially complete loss of textile appearance and hand is desired inthe outer fabrics, there may be employed an aqueous solution of alcohol,with or without a plasticizer, in place of the water. If steam isemployed, it is preferable to employ a wet steam and the same may beinjected into the material during the pressing operation in a mannersimilar to that of pressing woolen fabrics. Any suitable device may beused for pressing, for instance, hot irons, or the fabric may be pressedbetween pressure rolls, one or both of which are heated, or between aheated pressing iron or plate and a cold board or surface. The heatingdevice may be .heated to a desired temperature, for instance, 80 C. to180 C. or

more, and the pressure applied may be of any thermoplastic materialcontaining a plasticizer desired degree, for instance, from 10 to 600pounds or more per square inch. By increasing the pressure to anextremely high degree a glazed surface may be imparted to the fabric.

Novel eifects may be produced by pressing the composite material with adevice wherein heat and pressure are applied only locally within thearea of the composite material in such a manner as to make any desireddesign such as stripes, dots, rectangles or other geometrical, floral orother designs. By such a process, these designs are embossed into thecomposite material and the composite material isstiffened only at thosepoints receiving the heat and pressure since only those portions thatcome in contact with the raised parts of the heating device becomeunited, while the other portions retain the properties of the originalfabrics. This local application of heat and pressure may be effected bymanually operated means, if desired. By locally applying or havingpresent a plasticizer on the backing the inner layers only in suchlocalized places as are to be united, the union of other portions uponsubsequent laundering is avoided.

By employing this invention, the layers of the composite fabric arejoined together and the assembly stiffened without a visible alterationof the exposed layers of fabric that contain organic derivatives ofcellulose. While the plasticizer on the backing or interior layers offabric of the composited article is sufiicient to cause a flow orsoftening of the organic derivatives of cellulose on the inner sides ofthe outer layers of the fabric, the action is not carried through theexposed layer of fabric to the outer surface thereof to alter theappearance or hand of the exposed part. Thus, the texture and hand ofthe exposed surface or surfaces of the composite fabric will beunaltered and may be the same as the unstiffened and /or unadheringsurface layers.

In order further to illustrate my invention, but without being limitedthereto, the following specific example is given:

Example.-A fabric consisting of a light weight cotton muslin issaturated with a plasticizer for cellulose acetate, for example,dimethyl phthalate- A fabric consisting of a woven taffeta comprisingyarns of cellulose aceate is placed in juxtaposition to this fabric ofcotton muslin. Alternatively, two pieces of cellulose acetate taffetamay have interposed between them a piece of the plasticized cot-- tonmuslin. This assembly may be cut into strips suitable for use as sweatbands for hats. The assembly of fabrics is then wetted on both sideswith water. Thereupon the assembly is pressed with a hot iron orcalender to form a stiffened material in which the fabrics are united.This results in a product of a' stiffened composite maof water.

terial in which the outer or exposed layers are of a fabric containingyarns of cellulose acetate having the same hand and appearance as thoughthey were not stiffened or caused to adhere to the other layers of theassembly.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is merelygiven by way of illustration and many variations may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. The method of imparting stiffness or other properties to a fabriccontaining yarns of an organic derivative of cellulose, leaving theexposed surface of said fabric unaltered, which comprises joining thefabric containing the organic derivative of cellulose to anon-thermoplastic fabric having incorporated therewith a plasticizer forthe organic derivative .of cellulose by laminating the fabric andsubjecting the laminated fabric to heat and pressure.

2. The method of imparting stiffness or other propertiesto a fabric,containing yarns of cellulose acetate, leaving the exposed surface ofsaid fabric unaltered, which comprises joining the fabric containing thecellulose acetate to a nonthermoplastic fabric having incorporatedtherewith a plasticizer for the cellulose acetate by laminating thefabric and subjecting the laminated fabric to heat and pressure in thepresence 3. The method of imparting stiffness or other properties to afabric containing yarns of an organic derivative of cellulose, leavingthe exposed F surface of said fabric unaltered, which comprises joiningthe fabric containing the organic derivative of cellulose to a fabricconsisting of cotton yarns having incorporated therewith a plasticizertherewith a plasticizer for the cellulose acetate by laminating thefabrics and subjecting the laminated fabrics to heat and pressure.

5. The method of imparting stiffness or other properties to a fabriccontaining yarns of an organic derivative of cellulose, leaving theexposed surface of said fabric unaltered, which comprises joining thefabric containing the organic derivative of cellulose to a fabricconsisting of cotton yarns impregnated with dimethyl phthalate bylaminating the fabrics and subjecting the laminated fabrics to heat andpressure.

6. The method of imparting stiffness or other properties to a fabriccontaining yarns of cellulose acetate, leaving the exposed surface ofsaid fabric.

posed surface of said fabric unaltered, which comprises impregnating ,anon-thermoplastic fabric with a plasticizer for the organic derivativeof cellulose, inserting said non-thermoplastic fabric between two layersof fabric containing yarns of an organic derivative of cellulose,applying water to the assembled fabrics and subjecting the assembly toheat and pressure.

8. The method of imparting stiffness or other properties to a fabriccontaining yarns of cellulose acetate, leaving the exposed surface ofsaid' fabric unaltered, which comprises impregnating a non-thermoplasticfabric with a plasticizer for the cellulose acetate, inserting saidnon-thermoplastic fabric between two layers of fabric containing yarnsof cellulose acetate, applying water to the assembled fabrics andsubjecting the assembly to heat and pressure.

9. Wearing apparel and other industrial and technical articlescomprising an assembly of a plurality of layers of fabric adhering toeach,

-' plurality of layers of fabric adhering to each other, at least one ofsaid fabrics containing yarns of cellulose acetate and at least oneotherfabric being non-thermoplastic and having incorporated therein aplasticizer for said cellulose acetate, said fabrics being unitedto oneanother by the partial softening, under the influence of saidplasticizers, of the inner side of said fabric containing yarns ofcellulose acetate, the said yarns being unaltered on the outer side ofsaid fabric.

11. Sweat bands, belts, collars, cuffs and similar articles comprisingan assemblyof a plurality of layers of fabric adhering to each other,atleast one of said fabrics containing yarns of an organic derivattve ofcellulose and at least one other fabric being non-thermoplastic andhaving incorporated therein a plasticizer for said organic derivative.of cellulose, said fabrics being united to one another by the partialsoftening, under the influence of said plasticizer, of the inner side ofsaid fabric containing yarns of organic derivative of cellulose, thesaid yarns being unaltered on the outer side of said fabric and the saidarticles having an increased stiffness.

- 12. Sweat bands, belts, collars, cuffs and simione of saidfabricscontaining yarns of cellulose acetate and at least one otherfabric being nonlar articles comprising an assembly of a plurality oflayers of fabric adhering to each other, at least ing, under theinfluence of said plasticizer, of the inner side of said fabriccontaining yarns of cellulose acetate, the said yarns being unaltered onthe outer side of saidfabric and the said articles having an increasedstiflness.

GEORGE 8 m

